“Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and Shame sits with us as night.” Oscar Wilde
This quote from Oscar Wilde relates extremely well to Angela’s Ashes because poverty, sin, and misery are more than just a state of being or an emotion for the McCourts. Wilde represents the same sentiment in the quote above by personifying poverty, sin, and misery. Wilde also says that poverty, sin, and misery are connected, and they are for the McCourts as well.
The McCourts always fall back into the clutches of Poverty, and being in a state of poverty affects so many parts of their lives. For example: they have to live in a rat and flea-infested home that floods and connects to a lavatory for an entire street, The children become sick and die, and their family dislikes them. The problems that affect the McCourts mount and lead to other problems because money affects so much in the world. It is appropriate that Wilde personifies poverty because poverty touches so many aspects of life; like a person is more than just their appearance.
Wilde writes, “Poverty with her hungry eyes and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her,” indicating that the two are connected. The same is true for the McCourts; such as when Frank steals lemonade and a box of food.
“There’s a van pulling away from South’s pub leaving crates of beer and lemonade outside and there isn’t a soul on the street. In a second I have two bottles of lemonade up under my jersey and I saunter away trying to look innocent” (McCourt 236).
Frank knows that stealing the lemonade is wrong, but he is so desperate to feed his family. Frank feels extra pressure to help because he is the oldest and his father is not home. While it is wrong to steal, he is not able to see any other way because he does not have any money. Not only does the poverty affect the physical things in the lives of the McCourts, but it affects the mental aspects of life. Sin followed Poverty close behind.
The line in Wilde’s quotation, “Misery wakes us in the morning and Shame sits with us at night,” makes the poverty situation described in the quote come full-circle. Once again, misery and shame are personified showing that they can have many different layers and levels. The actions of Misery and Shame show that the emotions stay with the people every day; life is a constant struggle for the McCourts. For example, Frank explains his family’s shame when they do not have food while Mr. McCourt is in England:
“At times like this Mam tells us to stay inside. We have noting but bread and tea and she doesn’t want the tormenting neighbors to see us with our tongues hanging out, suffering over the lovely smells floating up and down the lane,” (218).
This quote shows that the McCourts are desperate, but they do not want to be seen in that state in order to protect what dignity they have left. The McCourts wake up every morning to little, if anything, to eat, their horrible apartment, and the problems of life. The problems do not go away in the course of the day; the problems are waiting every night as well.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Why the Name Schell?
The last name Schell is fitting for many of the characters in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for various reasons.
Lets start with Oskar. Oskar is clearly struggling with depression following the tragic death of his father. Oskar does not fit in well with other kids his age; for example, the interactions between Jimmy Snyder and himself backstage during the production of Hamlet. Oskar’s knowledge of information that is not typical for his age group, combined with his inventing, both indications of a possible mental disorder, separate him from children his age. Oskar even references zipping himself into a sleeping bag, as if it were a cocoon. While Oskar has lost some of his innocence as a result of the tragedy, he attempts to comfort himself by ignoring the truth as much as possible. Oskar carries a tambourine with him as he visits the Blacks. The tambourine is comforting and shows how Oskar tries to remain as innocent as possible. Oskar also tries to protect his mother by hiding the messages that his father left on the answering machine. In this sense, he is bringing others into his shell for protection.
In a different sense, Schell is a fitting and significant name because Oskar’s journey to all the Blacks because Oskar is breaking out of his shell. Oskar is going out of his comfort zone trying to find information about his father. This is a large task for Oskar because in the back of his mind he knows that the information he receives can finalize his father’s death which he has been attempting to hide from.
The name Schell is also significant in discussing Oskar’s mother. Like Oskar, she hides the fact that she received a phone call from her husband to protect Oskar. She also could have been protecting herself by ignoring the fact that she received the phone call, Oskar’s mother is not making her husband’s death final.
Schell is a fitting name for Oskar’s grandparents as well. Both people have a lot of bottled emotion that they keep from one another. Oskar’s grandmother knows that Thomas truly was in love with Anna; yet she continues a relationship with him for many years hoping that he will love her, when she is really hiding from the truth. Thomas has trouble expressing his emotions towards his son; for example, all the unsent letters he wrote to him. All the bottled emotion Thomas has could be considered a shell that he unable to break through.
Lets start with Oskar. Oskar is clearly struggling with depression following the tragic death of his father. Oskar does not fit in well with other kids his age; for example, the interactions between Jimmy Snyder and himself backstage during the production of Hamlet. Oskar’s knowledge of information that is not typical for his age group, combined with his inventing, both indications of a possible mental disorder, separate him from children his age. Oskar even references zipping himself into a sleeping bag, as if it were a cocoon. While Oskar has lost some of his innocence as a result of the tragedy, he attempts to comfort himself by ignoring the truth as much as possible. Oskar carries a tambourine with him as he visits the Blacks. The tambourine is comforting and shows how Oskar tries to remain as innocent as possible. Oskar also tries to protect his mother by hiding the messages that his father left on the answering machine. In this sense, he is bringing others into his shell for protection.
In a different sense, Schell is a fitting and significant name because Oskar’s journey to all the Blacks because Oskar is breaking out of his shell. Oskar is going out of his comfort zone trying to find information about his father. This is a large task for Oskar because in the back of his mind he knows that the information he receives can finalize his father’s death which he has been attempting to hide from.
The name Schell is also significant in discussing Oskar’s mother. Like Oskar, she hides the fact that she received a phone call from her husband to protect Oskar. She also could have been protecting herself by ignoring the fact that she received the phone call, Oskar’s mother is not making her husband’s death final.
Schell is a fitting name for Oskar’s grandparents as well. Both people have a lot of bottled emotion that they keep from one another. Oskar’s grandmother knows that Thomas truly was in love with Anna; yet she continues a relationship with him for many years hoping that he will love her, when she is really hiding from the truth. Thomas has trouble expressing his emotions towards his son; for example, all the unsent letters he wrote to him. All the bottled emotion Thomas has could be considered a shell that he unable to break through.
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